Link Model 2 E

Link Piano Company had its roots in the Automatic Musical Company of Binghamton,
New York, founded in 1903 by former employees of Roth & Engelhardt Piano Company
of St. Johnsville, New York. The Automatic Music Company bought its pianos from Schaff
Brothers Piano Company of Huntington, Indiana, managed by George Link.

The coin pianos operated from an endless roll system, very similar to those used
in Peerless models (made by Roth & Engelhardt). Perhaps too similar, as Engelhardt
won a lawsuit against Automatic in 1909, and a judgment that nearly bankrupt the
company in 1913. George Link’s son Edwin, took over the company and by 1916 had incorporated
the Link Piano Company.

The company went on to make several models of coin pianos and orchestrions into the
late 1920’s, all using endless music rolls throughout production, despite all of
its competitors abandoning endless rolls for the far easier to change rolls of conventional
rewind systems.

This model was built about 1926 and was in the basement of a Cleveland flower shop
when purchased by the current owner.

Purchase includes 12 multi-tune music rolls and a wall box for remote operation.
Motivated seller!

Please contact us for more information.

The restoration was started by the current owner and another rebuilder, Don Dunifon.
Unfortunately, Don passed away before the project was finished. The project has been
sitting, nearly complete, ever since. The piano has been rebuilt, including new strings,
dampers and hammers. The cabinet has been refinished to a Mission Oak finish. The
pneumatic system was restored except for the pump, just waiting for a new owner to
complete the project.

It is interesting to note that Edwin’s son, Ed Jr., an aviation enthusiast, used
spare pneumatic components to build the first flight simulator in 1929, after sales
of the coin pianos and organs ended. This led to the famed Link Trainer and the sophisticated
flight simulators of today.